Air fresheners have existed for quite some time. Generally, an air freshener is used to emit a pleasant aroma into a room or enclosed area. The aroma may create a mood, invoke a psychological response and/or mask unpleasant odors. In some instances, aromas are used for therapeutic purposes.
Wick-based air freshener systems are known in the art for dispersing the vapors of liquids into the air. Such systems are often used in and around the home in conjunction with a wide array of liquids, ranging from insect repellant to fragrance oils. Typically, in such systems, one end of a wick is partially submerged in the liquid to be dispersed. The liquid is contained in any suitable container. The partially submerged portion of the wick absorbs the liquid, some of which is drawn up by capillary or wicking action through the exposed, non-submerged portion of the wick. The exposed portion of the wick is locally heated, often by means of a ring-shaped heater that fits over the wick. This causes the liquid that has diffused into the exposed portion of the wick closest to the heating element to evaporate into the surrounding air. Continual application of heat to the exposed portion of the wick results in an evaporation/absorption process that continues until the liquid is fully consumed.
The aforementioned method of using a heating element to motivate the evaporation of an aromatic or fragrant compound into the atmosphere is one of the most common methods for implementing an air freshener. For example, one known device utilizes scented liquid held in a bottle. The bottle contains a wick that is submerged in the scented liquid at one end while protruding through the top of the bottle at the other end. The wick draws up the scented liquid by means of capillary action. The end of the wick that protrudes through the top of the bottle is located next to a heating element so that the drawn up scented liquid is evaporated by the heat emitted from the heating element. This type of air freshener is usually plugged into a standard wall outlet, which provides both power and physical support. The wall outlet supplies power to the heating element in the form of alternating current (“AC”), which as previously mentioned, heats the fragrant compound. The heat causes the fragrant compound to evaporate and disperse into the atmosphere, thereby emitting an aroma.
Known air freshener systems generally contain a fragrance bottle that is exposed to the user at all times. The bottle is attached to the air freshener with the wick extending from the bottle into the air freshener. Having the fragrance bottle exposed to the user allows breakable fragrance bottles to fall and shatter on the floor. This also allows easy access for children to be exposed to the fragrance bottle and its contents. In addition, liquid fragrance may drip on the floor and create a harmful, dangerous and/or unsanitary environment.
Air fresheners may utilize a variety of heating elements. For example, some air fresheners utilize positive temperature coefficient (“PTC”) heating elements. Alternatively, a series of resistors may be used to heat the fragrant compound. It is also known to use resistors to heat a ceramic block, which in turn heats a wick saturated with a scented liquid. Using a power source (such as a standard wall outlet) in conjunction with one or more resistors has also proven effective.
As discussed above, known air freshener systems contain exposed, drip prone, often glass or otherwise breakable fragrance containers that hang from the system. As such, there is a clear need for a device that securely encloses the fragrance container within the device.
There is also a clear need for a device that allows the user to determine the amount of liquid fragrance left in an enclosed fragrance container, such that the desirability of enclosing the fragrance container within the device does not require forgoing the ability to view the fragrance container. Additionally, there is a need for a device that contains a door, which snaps closed and securely encapsulates the fragrance container and contains an aperture or transparent or translucent window to allow for a clear view of the fragrance container without the need to open the door.